Montgomery County SWCS/NRCS Hosts Educational Farm Tour

Attendees see the effects of cost-share funds used for conservation practices.

The Montgomery County SWCD/NRCS hosted an Educational Farm Tour for Legislative Officials on November 5, 2009. Approximately thirty people were in attendance including legislative officials from the City of Montgomery and members of the Alabama House of Representative. The purpose of the tour was to let legislative officials see some of the cost-share practices they help to install through the Alabama Agricultural and Conservation Development Commission Program (AACDCP) and Farm Bill Funds. The tour began at Terese Goodson's farm; she runs her cow/calf operation with her son Brett. Her late husband Earl started the cow/calf operation in 1990. Her son now lives in Atlanta, so she has participated in several agriculture trainings to help her become more self-sufficient on the farm.

Mrs. Goodson has worked with the Montgomery County SWCD and NRCS to complete many conservation practices. She installed her well through AACDCP, more commonly known as state cost-share program. She installed pasture planting, heavy use area and cross fencing with the help of the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP). She received funding under the Catoma Creek 319 program to install pipeline and troughs to better facilitate rotational grazing.

The tour continued on 3 other producer's farms who had been helped by State Cost-share funds or farm bill funds. The tour stopped briefly by the Snowdoun Community Park which has received funding thru Mid-South RC&D to help build the park.

Michael Moseley, a poultry producer was second farm the tour visited. Michael and Jackie Moseley have operated their eight chicken houses in South Montgomery county near Ramer since 1992. Mr. Moseley also farms five acres of premium Tifton 85 Bahia and twenty acres of Russell Bermuda Grass to sell for hay. Mr. Moseley has received cost share under the Alabama State Cost share program to implement an incinerator for disposal of dead birds. Under EQIP he received funding to build a dry stack and plant Russell Bermuda and Tifton 83 Bahia. He has also received a grant from Auburn University to install an energy efficient broiler to heat his poultry production houses. While at the Moseley’s the group had the opportunity to go inside one of the poultry production houses.

The tour ended with a working lunch at Red’s Little School House in Ramer. Dr. Wil Smith gave a presentation on the Water Quality Study Bacterial Source Tracking in the Catoma Creek Watershed. Montgomery County SWCD partnered with
Auburn University, Montgomery Water Works and Sewer Board, and the Montgomery County Commission to complete the study. Comments were made by David Grimes, Thad McClammy, Kristen Rector, Jeff Downs, Dr. Bill Puckett, J. O. Norris and Noopie Cosby.

While on Terese Goodson's property, attendees enjoyed
a hayride and feeding the cows.